Newsletter 3 by appleton_academy

Appleton Academy Autumn newsletter 3

Featuring: o Y11 Celebration Evening o Remembrance Day o Performing Arts Event o Appleton Ambition special feature section

Together with our community, we can achieve extraordinary things.

Welcome Welcome to our third newsletter highlighting the fabulous work taking place in secondary. Appleton has been its usual busy self with a wide array of trips, visits and activities taking place and students have been taking full advantage of our wider curriculum offer. In each newsletter we will share a flavour of what is happening in the academy, including insights into the fabulous work taking place in classrooms. In this issue, we will share you with you the amazing photography work done by our y10 students, our celebration evening for last year’s Y11 students, our external speakers for Y7 learning about how to keep safe on the roads, our young writers and speakers and much more. Keep an eye out for our special edition to the newsletter, Appleton Ambition, which will keep you updated on all things to do with careers opportunities provided for our young people. If you have things you would like to see feature in the newsletter, please let us know. Mrs Garlick Head of Secondary

Y11 Leavers’ Celebration Evening By Mrs Bateman. On Thursday 16th November we welcomed our ex-Y11 students back to the academy. It was wonderful to spend time catching up with them all and finding out about the next part of their journey since leaving us in July. Our students have gone on to study in college, sixth form and apprenticeships and we are extremely proud of them all. All students received their GCSE certificates from Ms Jones and Mrs Garlick. Some special awards were presented to the following students: Award for academic achievement: Laura Heaton & Szymon Bak Award for contribution to the Academy community and ethos: Oliver Taylor, Craig Linley and Ruby Holdsworth Award for pupil of the year: Ismail Elahie

Students created a remembrance wall of poppies for display in our atrium.

Remembrance Service 2023 On the 10th November, students across the academy participated in a service for Remembrance Day to remember the service and sacrifice of all those who have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. Students participated in a two-minute silence where we remembered the Armed Forces, and their families, the vital role played by the emergency services and those who have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism. Students were respectful throughout and asked relevant and pertinent questions. Thank you to all our students for their maturity and engagement. By Miss Boyle 4

Art at Appleton Each newsletter we feature amazing artwork created by our students. In this issue it’s the turn of our Year 10 students, who have been doing a project around miniature scenes.

Year 10 Miniature Figures project

This Term, Year 10 photography have been working on a project called miniature figures based upon the work of photographers Slinkachu and Andrew Whyte. Here is a selection of the photographs they produced on set and location shoots: 1. Ali 2. Amy 3. Lucas 4. Ryan

4 5

Another selection of the work: 5. Lucas 6. Jacob 7. Lewis

Here Lewis is showing his creative skills by making a mini environment for his swimming figures from paper, beads and string. Even using a paper clip to create stair handles into the pool!

English

By Mrs Barnes. This half term, over 200 students entered the Young Writers 'The Glitch' creative writing competition! "A sudden shift, a twist of fate, and bam! Everything changes!" What happens when an ordinary day turns extraordinary? What are the effects on the world if one thing is changed forever? What thrilling or terrifying outcomes are unleashed if one mishap alters reality? These are the questions students were asked to consider for this mini saga competition. The school that submits the best overall set of entries will win The Young Writers' Award of Excellence and a £100 National Book Token. The top 5 writers will each win £50 and a trophy! Plus every entrant receives a bookmark and all writers chosen for publication will get a certificate of merit. We can't wait to receive our copy of the book and see who has been published!

On December 11th 30 year 10 students took part in the Speaker's Trust Speak Out Challenge. It all starts with an expert led, interactive workshop. By the end of the workshop every student delivered a speech that they created from scratch to their classmates and a small panel of judges, usually a couple of teachers, who select top-quality speeches. An Assembly Final gives students the chance to share their speech with their school. Students perform their speeches to fellow students and teachers, giving teachers time to hear the variety of topics and styles before selecting which students will represent their school with their uplifting message. Assembly Finalists then get the opportunity to progress to a Regional Final. A Regional Final is an opportunity for everyone in the community and from across the borough to come together to celebrate and build a platform for young voices to share their uplifting speeches. Depending on how many schools in the borough participate in Jack Petchey’s Speak Out Challenge, a traditional Regional Final could showcase up to 24 original speeches by young people that highlight their unique perspective and passion for a subject of their choice.

Performing Arts We decided to round off 2023 with a showcase to celebrate the talented students in the Performing Arts and all their hard work both in and out of the classroom. We had solo and ensemble music performances from our Key Stage 4 GCSE Music students and the school Rock Band (led by Mr. Harley), amazing the audience with their courage and musicianship. Drama Club – The club runs Monday after school in PA7 with Miss. Lamb

Enna Rizvi, Caleb Adams, Antoni Rykaluk, Callum Dayton- Gledhill, Miles Bowen

Followed by a lively dance routine choreographed by Year 8 students; Olivia Atkins, Maddison – Skye Chapman and Ruby Graham and finally, bringing the festive spirit to our parents and staff were Drama Club. Alongside Miss. Lamb the students created and performed a Pantomime version of a Christmas Carol which had the audience laughing and singing.

Rock Club – The club runs Wednesday after school in PA6 with Mr. Harley

Thank you to all the staff who supported the event, to our families for coming to watch and to our student performers. We are immensely proud of all our students and look forward to seeing what our future showcases bring.

iDEA Award winners this term By Mr Halston

The iDEA (inspiring Digital Enterprise Award) is a nationally recognised certificate at bronze, silver and gold level, awarded for completing a range of digital and life skills badges online. It is so useful for post-16 applications and is looked on by UCAS as being the equivalent to the Duke of Edinburgh’s award. All secondary students are signed up to the bronze level award and are expected to complete certain badges as homework in Y7-9. In 2023, we have had over 30 students complete the full bronze award and a further 5 completing silver. The gold award has just been released so we eagerly await who will crack it first! This term’s winners: Bronze Y11 Paige Fawthrop Y11 Junior Dlodlo Y9 Lilly Briscoe Y9 Navjot Sidhu Y9 Riley Fletcher Silver Y9 Leah Southern Y9 Cammi Harrison Congratulations to all these winners! Certificates will be awarded in your assembly.

THE RIOT ACT On Monday the 4th December, Year 7 had a presentation and workshop on road safety.. This was done by an outside group called the Riot Act. It was delivered through a drama performance. This was finished off by a Q & A on students’ thoughts on the performance.

This powerful and engaging drama demonstrated safe behaviour around roads to students, highlighting the importance of recognising and understanding how peer influence affects our choices and behaviour and how to deal with it.

Student and parent support In each newsletter we will have a focus on a service or services that can support our students and/or their parents. These services may be something we offer through the school or something that an external provider can deliver. If you have any questions about these services, please contact the school.

www.youngminds.org.uk We know that being a parent or carer isn’t always easy. Although it’s often amazing and rewarding to watch your children or young people grow up, it can also be really hard work. Things might feel especially difficult if your child or young person is struggling with their mental health at the moment. Or if their mood and behaviour seem different, and you're not sure why or what you can do to help. But you are not alone. We have lots of practical advice to help you support them – from encouraging them to open up, to navigating mental health services and finding them the right help. No matter what you’re going through, things can get better. There is a parents helpline that offers three different services to parents and carers who are concerned about their child’s mental health, up to the age of 25. You can call the Parents Helpline on 0808 802 5544, Monday - Friday 9:30am 4:00pm. Alternatively, you can contact them via the webchat on the website above.

As part of our commitment to keeping young people safe and allowing them to access support out of school hours we have a number of websites that we recommend. Kooth is an online platform that offers anonymous advice for those struggling in any way. Students need to create an account in order to be able to access the services.

www.kooth.com

It has been another incredibly busy month for careers here at Appleton Academy. Over the last six weeks we have offered students a wide variety of information and activities, including ‘Career of the Week’ in form time, a trip to Bradford College, a music production workshop from local company ‘You Bring The Band’, and finally an application and interview skills workshop!

A Date For Your Diary Apprenticeship Evening 4.30 - 5.30 9th January Come and meet local employers offering apprenticeships at post-16 and degree level. Followed by an expert panel and Q&A. Open to students in all year groups and parents / carers. Every single employer attending has a current live vacancy advertised right now suitable for a Year 11 student to apply to, making it unique to this school!

Careers of the Week This Half Term: Following on from Green Careers Week in November, Appleton students have learned about lots of different careers recently, including Sustainability Consultant, Green Apprenticeships, Nature Recovery Manager, Marine Biologist, Hydrologist and Recycling Officer. All these jobs link to the Government’s aim of creating a Zero Carbon future for West Yorkshire.

Careers Team Meet our C+K Careers Advisers and Progression Officer, James Davidson (left) and John Plant (right). For any information, advice or guidance about careers or pathways after school find them in the careers office Mondays and Tuesdays or speak to Mrs Hayward about booking an appointment.

You bring the band! .

Last month, students got a rare opportunity to take part in a BTEC Music Production Taster Session, delivered by local company ‘You Bring The Band’. This was generously funded by Uni Connect (see below). Students got to produce their own MP3 tracks and practice with a rock band instrument – stay tuned to hear their music!

You Bring the Band - Students mixing their own original music 14

Uni Connect . What is it and what can it offer for students at Appleton Academy? Uni Connect is run by Go Higher West Yorkshire through Leeds University. Its single aim is to ‘reduce inequalities in Higher Education.’ This means that everybody has a fair chance at applying to, and succeeding in, a degree pathway. James Davidson is the Uni Connect representative at Appleton and is also a qualified Careers Adviser for C+K Careers. He organises events that highlight university pathways, describes how a degree can boost future employability, and manages a small budget to arrange activities such as ‘You Bring The Band.’

James Davidson, our Uni-Connect Officer

Post 16 Application Workshops Students in Year 11 were invited to six workshops delivered by colleges and sixth forms last month. The aim was to share the application processes and what is on offer at local colleges. Kirklees, Bradford and Calderdale College were all here, as well as others such as Greenhead College and Huddersfield New College. There was also a talk specifically on apprenticeships, however this will be covered in greater detail in January.

A presentation by New College Bradford

Looking to the future: Alumnae appeal

At Appleton Academy we highly value our connections with former students. We like to celebrate their achievements and experiences with students, staff and the local community. We would love to hear from former students and hope to be able to work with them, in the capacity of volunteer, mentor and/or inspirational speakers. If you are a former student and would like to be contacted about the possibility of working with us, please complete the form on the link below or alternatively contact info@appletonacademy.co.uk and state alumnae in the subject. https://forms.office.com/e/uxFvJNr54E